"Running on Sand" Details a Refugee's Plight in a "Ted Lasso" Way

The fictional dramedy about a young Eritrean refugee who escapes deportation in a case of mistaken identity earns a few laughs while exposing some tough realities about migrant life

During a key inflection point in the 2023 feature film from Israeli director Adar Shafran’s (The Wedding Plan) Running on Sand [Trailer], its young, soulful, optimistic protagonist, Omari (Chancela Mongoza), an Eritrean refugee living in Israel, is faced with an impossible dilemma.

Does he abandon the fabricated identity of a Nigerian footballer (soccer player) and risk the potentially perilous journey aboard a ship container to Germany, or continue the farce, knowing it might lead to deportation back to Eritrea via Uganda?

The answer to this question is what the events leading up to this moment are meant to reveal, but it’s not a slam dunk (sorry, wrong sports metaphor).

Instead, we’re led down several different paths in this story. One is that Omari, who at the start of the film works as a barback, alongside his good friend Nigel (Michael Kabya-Aharoni) are in Israel illegally. This poses a threat to their daily life and security, as both would be killed if they returned home to their native countries of Eritrea and Sudan.

Nigel and Omari, with their signature popsicles, wait to see if Omari’s younger brother, Allen, gets off the bus of deported men at the bus stop

Side Note/Backstory: Between 2006 and 2012, Eritreans fled their country for Israel in significant numbers. Estimated numbers of 50,000. Along the way – in Sudan, in Egypt’s Sinai Desert, or both – they often endured unspeakable suffering, as traffickers sold them to rogue tribespeople who tortured them in seeking to extort money from their families. Many died when they couldn’t pay, or couldn’t endure. The passage was desperate.

Human rights abuses and atrocities that took place in Sudan and Eritrea, largely perpetrated as a result of The War in Darfur which last nearly 20 years from 2003-2020. [Read about it here]

The Sandwich Format: Serious/Funny/Serious (in 3 parts)

Part 1: Run, Omari, Run!

The action of the film is set in motion when an immigration raid strikes the apartment where Omari and his refugee friends are staying. Nigel, who is not present during this incident, avoids being apprehended, while Omari and the others are taken into custody. At the airport in Israel, Omari creates a distraction and does what he knows best—something he has mastered as someone who once walked the arduous 1,833 km (1,138 miles) journey from Eritrea to Israel. He runs faster than anyone, seizing the opportunity to escape.

Omari narrowly escapes a grim fate but is saved when Shimi (Zvika Hadar) mistakes him for Maccabi Netanya’s latest import, Nigerian player Johnny Mikel

While escaping, Omari cleverly disguises himself as a traveler by grabbing a piece of luggage from the carousel, blending in, albeit imperfectly. Shimi (Zvika Hadar), the owner of Maccabi Netanya, a well-known football club in Israel, and his daughter Neta (Kim Or Azulay) mistakenly identify Omari as Johnny Mikel, their highly anticipated new star player who is expected to revive their struggling team.

Of course, even if the charade only lasts a few hours, it provides Omari with a temporary reprieve from his deportation concerns. However, one of the critical elements in watching something of this premise - that of the mistaken identity trope- is when and how and by whom the deception will be revealed. It turns out, in this case of this film, pretty soon. Neta, the team owner’s daughter, finds out first, and her response is not to share the news with her father, but to try and work with Omari to find a way through it, together. Neta empathizes with Omari's struggles, particularly after witnessing his physical scars and hearing about the hardships he has faced in his homeland. Their bond develops into a close friendship that flirts with romantic tension but ultimately refrains from igniting a full-blown romance, which is the preferred route in this film.

Omari and Neta enjoy a night walk and each other’s company

Funny: The Ted Lasso of it All

One of the film’s heartening aspects is that Omari is not a natural soccer/football player. He is athletic and very fast, but has no clue how to play the game. He is a calming presence on the tense and boisterous team, and dispenses sage-like advice to his teammates, often diffusing fraught moments. For instance, after the team captain confides in Omari about marital struggles, Omari advises, “Wash dishes. No one can be mad at you if you wash dishes.” The advice proves effective and the captain is of course, indebted to him.

He’s also considered to be a good-luck charm after his accidental collision with an opposing team player during a close game acts as an assist to a goal for his team. Not only is Omari/Johnny embraced by his teammates, but they also learn from one another and seem to care genuinely. This aspect of male friendship and brotherhood was sweet in a Ted Lasso way that is at once life-affirming and non-judgmental.

Serious: The Migrant Condition

“All my life I’ve been running …

I’ve been running my entire life.” - Omari

In the film’s intro, Omari has an inner monologue in which he mentions that when he runs, he doesn’t have to think or feel, and if he does it just long enough, he gets past the pain.

Omari is at his most vulnerable not when he is (running) frantically fleeing immigration agents, but when he pauses to live in the moment, embracing his role as a teammate and forming a friendship with Neta. When he risks exposing who he really is.

Omari’s presence, as mentioned earlier, has a calming effect on those around him because he’s always trying to be his best. He makes people feel good just by being in their orbit. The others around him, contrastingly, are the ones who act out or exhibit erratic behavior at times, and yet he always remains composed.

Near the film’s conclusion, there’s a powerful moment where Omari finally breaks down, overwhelmed by the crushing realization of his own invisibility. It made me reflect on all the times he had to suppress his emotions, forced to be the perfect version of himself because any display of vulnerability could put him at risk. This struggle seems intrinsically tied to his migrant status, perhaps even a direct consequence of it.

Chancela Mongoza delivers a breakout performance as Omari. He skillfully portrays a man teetering on the edge who strives to make the best of a harrowing situation that unexpectedly turns hopeful. His nuanced portrayal anchors the film and brings depth to its emotional core.

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Related Recommendations

One of my top picks for the 2023 Festival I attended was An Artist Daughter, Oil on Canvas. [Read about it here.]

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Special thanks to the Boston Israeli Film Festival organizers for providing a screening of this film and others I will be reviewing.

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Footnote

Director Adar Shafran was present at my screening of the film, which was its Boston debut. This film was the first film released in Israel after October 7, 2023, the Hamas attack on civilians which has led to the ongoing hostage crisis. It was originally supposed to be released at the end of October 2023. Instead, given the number of evacuees that were living in hotels throughout Israel, during this time, they showed the film at 50 different screenings from the South to the North. Its comedic and life-affirming elements resonated with heartbroken citizens and gave them a reprieve from the daily horrors. It eventually was released commercially in Israel on December 7, 2023, and has done well, with over 200K viewers, a coup for such a small, competitive market as Israel.